On Sunday we got to spend a beautiful day in Tel Aviv learning about the rich history of the most amazing city in all of Israel. The first ever modern hebrew speaking city went from a not so glorious start to the modern marvel it is today.
The first part of the day we received an amazing graffiti tour from Evan's best friend, Aaron. He showed us the art scene of the city. Although graffiti may be illegal, the liberal city has no problem with the art, so long as it is kept in line. This kind of art is the number one form of expression throughout the city and it is not uncommon for pieces to last a very little amount of time, but rather have new stuff painted over all the time.
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| A tribute to Banksy put up in the city |
After that we all had a bunch of free time on Rothschild Street. This was our second time there, and yet again we were able to experience the amazing food scene in Tel Aviv. I don't know about everyone else, but I broke Kosher multiple times within this 90 minutes. Rothschild was supper affluent, so it is only fitting that the street named after him is so nice. To cap it all off, Evan's friend, a food expert talked to us about food and judaism and how it's all tied to Israel.
The coolest part of the whole day was when we were taken to Soluto, the company of Evan's wife, Yaara. In order to understand cultural zionism, we have to understand how the modern state runs. This is partly thanks to the country's number one industry, the high-tech industry. Whether it's silicon chip manufacturing to "tech-support" from Soluto, Anything modern and computer oriented is a major part of the Israeli economy. The high-tech industry is very modern. Most companies' offices are open concept, with new things like ball chairs and standing desks. The whole idea is to make a work environment where you can have enough fun and comfort to motivate you to do your work. It works great for companies and there's a reason israel is flourishing.
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| Ben enjoying some good, home-style pizza |
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| Yaara shows Kitat Dov around Soluto |
Whqt was your favorite piece of art, how do you think food contributes to culture, and what does cultural zionism mean to you/how does it apply to your life.
My favorite piece of art was the one filled with artists who had died at the age of 27. I thought this piece of art was very influential and it was done very well. Food has a major influence on culture as food is a major aspect of culture itself. For example, a big part of Jewish culture is the food, and without it, it would not be the same. Cultural Zionism is important to me because it allows Jews to strongly identify themselves through their own culture. Cultural Zionism allows Jews to come together and have common interests. Cultural Zionism applies to my life today because being Jewish has had a major influence on me. I personally consider myself to have a strong Jewish identity and am friends with people who are Jewish like me.
ReplyDeleteA piece of art I thought was really clever was that of Moses splitting the sea with the “600k followers” bubble over his head. This caught my attention because it combined what was made to look like an antique painting of a biblical scene with a modern connotation. I think art like this is really appealing to my generation and it is a good way to become more interested in art. Also, I feel that food has a huge impact on the culture of an area. Many areas have specific foods that people connote with it, giving the area something to identify with. I personally resonate a lot with cultural zionism. I feel more secure and confident in my personal belief in the necessity of a Jewish state when I have different aspects of culture to relate to. For example, I think a really amazing piece of culture in Israel is the modern Hebrew language, and I feel it really helps solidify and strengthen the nation. I hope to learn as much Hebrew as possible in the future, as I am especially drawn to the language.
ReplyDeleteOne of my pieces art was the the mural of all of the artists who died at age 27. While it did make me very sad to see all of those young people who died, I think that it is very important to recognize what they did and I thought it was a very cool tribute. I think that food contributes a lot to culture. Many areas all over the world are known for different types of foods. For example, in China, they are known for their peaking duck, which is a very significant dish in the chinese culture. In Israel for example, they are known for hummus and flannel. This is an integral part of every day life and society. Cultural zionism means learning the hebrew language which unites us all.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of art was the one that said "If I forget you Jerusalem, it's because of Tel Aviv." I loved the Jewish reference and it made me laugh. I think food has a major contribution to culture, especially Jewish culture. It gives a window into the traditions and holidays, and gives us a tangible thing to connect to when we're observing those holidays. To me, Cultural Zionism means the unification of the Jewish people across the world through a common culture and language. As I learn more and more Hebrew I feel like I connect to Judaism so much more because I can understand the meanings of songs and prayers. In addition, even as a Jew in the Diaspora, the idea of a shared culture allows me to connect to Israel even when I'm not there. There's something really amazing in the idea that Jews around the world are doing the same things: saying the same words; preparing for the same holidays.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite pieces of art was the "Swag, Swag, Swaq, Swag." The reason why I liked that one the most was because you would never think of writing "Swag" on the wall four times in big, bolded red letters on the side of the wall. I think food has a major contribution to the culture as your typical Middle Eastern meal is falafel wrap in pita, but in Tel Aviv, you are able to see the different varieties of food from different cultures which is one of the reasons that I think Tel Aviv is such a popular tourist attraction. Throughout this Tiyul, I fell in love with Tel Aviv and one of the lines that Aaron had said which stuck to me was, "even the graffiti is Jewish." I think is such an interesting statement but at the same time it fits the Tel Aviv society as you have so many different cultures in a small area but than you have art work that is mostly based on the Jewish culture.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of art was the one that said, "If you forget Jerusalem, it's because of Tel Aviv" I just thought it was really witty which made it funny and really represents the people who live there. Food is a huge part of cultures because you eat a lot, and a lot of holidays, jewish included, are centered around food. Cultural zionism is really important to me, because when I landed here in Israel I felt a part of something even though I had never been here. There is nothing like the Shuk in the US yet I felt so at home and I know just knowing that we were all jewish was a big part in that. I also believe cultural zionism is unifying us through language, although I am currently struggling in learning it, I am excited to be able to know it and speak with my people all across the world.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of art was a drawing of a hand that said "control your mind" on it. I think that people often forget that we control the way we think, and often let others manipulate our mind. I think food is a huge part of culture, especially in Judaism. All of our holidays revolve around eating. My uncle always says "They tried to kill us, we survived, lets eat." A lot of different cultures take pride in their food, for example you can find hundreds of songs written about felafel. Cultural zionism is important to me because it gives us pride in being a Jew. I feel a connection to Israel that I have never felt to anywhere else before. It's amazing to walk around in the city and look around and know that a majority of the people I'm looking at is Jewish.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of art was the Israeli character and Palestinian refugee looking towards the future. This spoke to me because it shows that many people of Israel strive for peace. Food is a huge part of culture. Different ethnicities and religions use food to express their different cultures and ways of life. Food also reflects your society. For example, in busy cities people often eat street food so they can eat and walk, which reflects on the culture of cities. Cultural zionism is important to me because Israel is a place where I feel like a majority. Its such an incredible feeling to be able to connect to the majority of the people around me.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite piece of art was the 27 club, I thought it was really interesting to see how theories travel and can be expressed artistically. I also find different conspiracy theories and the ideology or thinking behind them fascinating. I think food is a major contributor to culture, as it is a component and an expression of community life, and therefore an important cultural influence. To me, cultural zionism is the basis and goal of strengthening community. That being said, you are also just as rightly Jewish without being a zionist, or living in Israel. I believe the idea of cultural zionism should go past just physically moving, and also mean a Jewish connection on a mental and spiritual level - no matter where you are in the world or what other cultures you take part in.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of art was the figures of the two women created out of newspaper to symbolize two different kinds of people and their emotions or reactions to the events described in the newspapers. I think it's really cool that two women from different cultures and religions can be depicted as feeling similar things and reacting in similar ways even though their situations may be different. I think that the mindset in Tel Aviv expresses that different kinds of people are very more similar to each other than we might think. I think cultural zionism is important because I think that the culture part of Judaism is arguably the most important. Jews being tied together by the same culture and roots makes Judaism even more special, and having a place to come together as one culture is something that can help the Jewish culture flourish.
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